A Session With Demeter
by cobweb185
Summary: Spin-off/sequel to ‘A Session With Artemis’ by RedFluffyBanana I have gained permission from her to do this . Psychiatrist Harvey Brown is once again visited by a Greek Goddess, but this time it is the goddess of the harvest who is revealing her troubles
1. Chapter 1: Demeter Arrives

Heya! This is my first fan fiction so please be kind :) Also, I apologise for any Greek mythology inaccuracies, as all my mythology knowledge comes from what little I've read, and what I've been told by my friend RedFluffyBanana (who seems to know everything about Greek mythology :) which is cool)

This fan fiction is a spin-off/sequel to 'A session with Artemis' by RedFluffyBanana, so it would be a good idea to read that first (it's a really well written story so i strongly recommend reading it). Don't expect this story to be anywhere near as long or as good as 'A Session With Artemis', I've just done it as a bit of fun.

Hope You Enjoy :)

DISCLAIMER: I obviously do not own Greek Mythology :P Harvey Brown is RedFluffyBanana's character (i do have her permission to use him)

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A cold wind blew outside, leaves were turning brown on trees, and the temperature was plummeting. All these signs pointed to one thing – it was the start of autumn. 2 weeks had passed since Harvey had been visited by the Greek goddess Artemis, and his life was finally settling back to normal. It was the end of the day, and Harvey was sat in his usual large, brown, leather chair in his office in New York. Every now and then he would think back to that extraordinary evening where he glimpsed into the past of the goddess of the hunt, and silently hope that it all hadn't been just a dream. His whole view on life had changed in that one day. Now every time that he read about storms at sea, he would wonder if it was caused by the god Poseidon. Every time he saw lightening flash over head he would wonder if it was Zeus throwing one of his lightning bolts. He knew it was madness to dwell on it, and that he would most likely never hear from the gods or Artemis again, and that he should forget about it all and continue with his life. But he couldn't just forget. Something like that sticks with you forever.

Harvey was deep in thought when suddenly there was a glowing light in the middle of the room. The ball of light increased, pulsing slightly, and Harvey began to see the outline of a tall young woman appearing. Harvey then had to shield his eyes as the light suddenly brightened, then slowly faded away. Harvey removed his hands from over his eyes, looking at the figure in front of him.

"Artemis?" he asked cautiously, his eyes trying to adjust after being almost blinded by the light.

"No. I am not Artemis" The woman said. Harvey could now tell that this woman was older and taller than Artemis was, and so was definitely not the young goddess who had appeared to him 2 weeks ago.

The woman had dark hair, green eyes and wore a long, flowing green dress. The way she held herself gave Harvey the impression that she was very mature and stern, but caring as well. Harvey had an idea as to who this goddess might be, but he didn't want to say, just in case he got it wrong. He knew from what Artemis had told him that he didn't want to get on the wrong side of a god.

"I am Demeter" the woman introduced herself "goddess of the harvest, and I was wondering if you could help me"

"Y. .Yeah . . . sure . . . um . . . of course" Harvey stammered. He was very nervous, but he managed to collect himself and regain his composure. "What can I help you with?" he asked.

"Well, I've heard good things about you from Artemis. She had become rather depressed a few months ago, but after her visit to you she seems to have perked up a bit." Demeter explained. Harvey was quite surprised. He'd hoped that he had helped Artemis and was glad she was doing ok, but he would never have guessed that she would recommend him to anyone else.

"Please take a seat" Harvey offered.

"Thank you" Demeter said, sitting down "As I was saying, it seemed that you greatly helped Artemis and seeing as I myself have been feeling down lately I thought I might pay you a visit."

"Well I hope I can help" Harvey said "Why don't we begin by going back to your childhood" Harvey usually started off this way with any new patient, as childhood is a key time for everyone.

"I spent my childhood in the stomach of my father" Demeter said bluntly.


	2. Chapter 2: Beginnings

Hi again :)

I've already finished this fan fiction, so i will be updating very regularly. I should have all chapters up by Saturday at the latest (I'm planning on posting 1 or 2 chapters a day). This fan fiction has 5 chapters.

Enjoy :)

DISCLAIMER: I obviously do not own Greek Mythology :P Harvey Brown is RedFluffyBanana's character (i do have her permission to use him)

* * *

"I spent my childhood in the stomach of my father" Demeter said bluntly.

'Oh dear' Harvey thought 'that was a bad start'

"Yes it was" Demeter agreed, Harvey mentally kicked himself; he'd forgotten that some gods had the ability to read minds. "But I don't blame you for starting there. There was a time when every mortal knew about the story of our birth, my siblings and mine that is, but now we seem to have faded into myth, and few even know of us anymore, let alone worship us." Harvey remembered Artemis saying the same thing in their session, and while thinking back on that he remembered that Artemis had also told him the story of how Cronus had swallowed his children as they were born. Of course Demeter was one of his children, as she was the sister of Zeus, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Hestia.

"I see you now remember the story" Demeter smiled wryly "Gaia had Cronus and Rhea with her son Uranus. Cronus married Rhea, and ate each of their children to try and avoid the prophecy that one of his children would one day over throw him. It was very unpleasant. Being immortal it was impossible for us to be digested and die, and so we continued to grow in his stomach. I had almost completely lost hope when suddenly my siblings were disappearing around me, being thrown up by our father. It was not long before I too was free, and it was so nice to breathe the fresh air and see the greenery and beauty of the world. We are eternally grateful to Zeus for freeing us, and to our mother, Rhea, who saved Zeus. Though she could have fed Cronus something softer in Zeus' place. I swear I still have a bruise from that bloody rock that came into Cronus stomach after he swallowed it thinking it was Zeus!"

Harvey looked down at the notes he had written so far:

- Family: Rhea – mother; Cronus – father and uncle; Gaia – grandmother; Uranus – grandfather and uncle

- Very troubled family – problems from the beginning

- Grew up in stomach of father/uncle – thrown up

'Wow' Harvey thought 'that is one wrong family' Demeter raised her eyebrows at him

"Sorry" he apologised "please continue. What happened after your birth?"

"Well after that there was the great war against the titans. It lasted a long time, but to cut a long story short, we won. Zeus became king of the gods, took Hera as his wife, and pretty much left the rest of us to choose what we became the gods or goddesses of. I became the goddess of the harvest. Mortals sacrificed and prayed to me when they wanted their crops to grow. It was a pleasant job, and I do love nature"

- Experienced war at a young age

- Loves nature – may have influenced rise of hippies

- Early confusion in life – sister and brother marry

Harvey finished writing his notes and looked up at Demeter.

"You have had a lot of trauma from birth, which may have affected you psychologically, and can be linked to problems in later life. This may be a reason for your present depression, but I would still like to hear more about your life to explore different factors that could be affecting you"

"Very well" Demeter said "I was a very carefree young girl, and I was not vengeful like many of the other gods were, and rarely dealt with the mortals harshly. I was still quite young when I bore my daughter, Kore, to Zeus. I love my daughter and we were very close. She was a free spirit, and like me she loved nature. She would often go out picking flowers in the fields. That was before _it_ happened"

Suddenly the atmosphere in the small room changed. Harvey felt the temperature drop, and the air felt heavy around him. He looked at Demeter and saw that her appearance had changed slightly; her eyes had grown dark and cold, her aura seemed to grow dark as well, and the look on her face was one of pure hate. Harvey gulped. There was only one thought going through his head at that moment. 'I'm going to die'


	3. Chapter 3: Persephone

Heres Chapter 3

Enjoy :)

DISCLAIMER: I obviously do not own Greek Mythology :P Harvey Brown is RedFluffyBanana's character (i do have her permission to use him)

* * *

As if Harvey's thought had snapped her out of a trance, Demeter suddenly looked up, her eyes returning to their original colour, her aura brightened and the room became warmer. Harvey realised he had been holding his breath and gladly gulped the fresh air down his throat.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you" Demeter apologised "but just thinking about what happened makes my blood boil"

"It . . . its ok" Harvey stuttered. Demeter laughed, the sound filling the room, almost brightening it. It reminded Harvey of Artemis' laughter, which was equally enchanting, proof that this was no ordinary being in front of him, but a majestic goddess.

"You cannot hide your fear from me" Demeter smiled "I find it amusing how men always try to put on a brave face and pretend they are not afraid, when just moments ago your face showed that you were terrified. But do not fear mortal, I shall not harm you. I would not kill you when I think you may help me, and I also promised Artemis I would not hurt you."

"Thank you" Harvey said "Anyway, shall we continue, I would like to here more about you daughter if that is alright"

"Of course" Demeter said "But I warn you, it is not a pleasant tale. One day, when Kore was picking flowers in a meadow, the most horrible thing happened. She was abducted by Hades. You see Hades had fallen in love with her, and asked Zeus if he could marry her. Zeus should have flat out refused, but instead he neither gave nor withheld his consent, and allowed Hades to kidnap my poor daughter."

Harvey's hand was beginning to ache from making notes, but this was vital information that he had to write down:

- Kore: Demeter- mother; Zeus- father/uncle

- Severe distress caused by loss of child

- Problems caused by Hades falling in love with own niece

- Sibling relationships broke down; hostility towards brother Hades for abducting Kore; angry at brother Zeus for not preventing abduction

"For a long while I didn't know exactly what had happened to Kore" Demeter continued her story "I searched the land looking for her, searching for a clue as to what might have happened to her. It was a very distressing time for me. Eventually I discovered Hades' betrayal. My own brother had taken my daughter away from me! I became very angry. I refused to let anything grow until I got my Kore back, and being goddess of the harvest, the crops and trees obeyed my will. The lands turned barren and desolate and no amount of begging from Zeus would change my mind. Eventually Zeus sent Hermes, messenger of the gods, down to the underworld to retrieve my daughter."

- slightly insane – will do anything to get own way, including wipe out humanity

Harvey tried to keep his thoughts away from what he was writing. He didn't want Demeter to grow angry and kill him, despite her promise to Artemis. Luckily Demeter didn't seem to notice and continued with her story.

"When Kore was returned to me I was overjoyed. I held her in my arms and cried with happiness, but my joy was not to last. Kore had eaten pomegranate seeds, and Zeus had told me that Kore could only return to me if she had not eaten or drunk anything in the underworld. Upon hearing this I grew more dejected and refused to remove my curse from the land, or even to return to Olympus. Of course the gods were not happy about that, and eventually, after much debate, we came to a compromise. Kore would spend half the year with me, and half the year in the underworld with Hades. Of course when Kore was with me I was happy and let the crops grow and everything was green and beautiful. But then when the time came for her to return to the underworld I became depressed again, for I cannot bear life without my darling daughter, and I once again refused to let anything grow. Mortals call this cycle the seasons. Spring and Summer is when Kore is with me. Autumn and Winter is when she returns to Hades and becomes Persephone, queen of the underworld. But please don't call her Persephone around me, her name is Kore when she's with me and that's how it should be"

- Very controlling, over-bearing and over-protective of daughter, why so depressed in autumn/winter? Can she not write to her daughter? Question: do the gods have email?

- many problems within family – Marriage of Hades and Persephone/Kore created problems

- confusing relationships:

- Persephone: Hades- uncle and husband; Zeus- father, uncle and brother-in-law??; Demeter- mother and sister-in-law??!

- Zeus and Demeter become Hades' mother-in-law and father-in-law?? And they become Persephone's brother-in-law and sister-in-law

- conclusion: messed up family tree!

- Another question: if this season's theory is correct, then why is half the year in summer while half the year is in winter?

This last question that Harvey noted down was soon to be answered. Just as he finished the question mark, he saw Demeter's eyes close and her head drop. He paused, unsure of what to do, when Demeter's head suddenly snapped back up, looking at Harvey, eyes full of confusion.

"Who are you?" she asked


	4. Chapter 4: Ceres

Heres Chapter 4

Enjoy :)

DISCLAIMER: I obviously do not own Greek Mythology :P Harvey Brown is RedFluffyBanana's character (i do have her permission to use him)

* * *

Harvey gazed at her in shock. What did she mean? Didn't she recognise him? If she didn't remember him, would she remember her promise not to harm him?? Harvey started to panic slightly. Then suddenly Demeter burst out laughing.

"Fooled you!" she cried, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks "You should have seen your face!"

Harvey was now thoroughly confused. Demeter's personality had almost completely changed. She had gone from being quite serious to being extremely outgoing, confident and playful.

"Um . . . what's going on Demeter?" Harvey had to ask

"What do you mean?" Demeter asked

"Well, you were telling me about Perseph . . . um . . . I mean Kore" Harvey said "It is autumn now after all so you must be quite upset about her being in the underworld right now"

"Are you kidding? I'm glad she's down there. And call her Persephone, not Kore; she's the queen of the underworld after all."

"But you just told me to call her Kore, and I thought . . . "

"No I didn't" Demeter cut in "oh, I see. The other me must have told you that. The Demeter that gets all moody and depressed when Persephone goes away and stops things from growing"

"Other Demeter" Harvey was confused for a moment, and then it suddenly hit him. Demeter had MPD; Multiple Personality Disorder. Thinking about it, this was bound to happen eventually. Her father being her uncle and her grandfather also being her uncle, mixed with growing up in a stomach, fighting a war against the titans, having a daughter with her brother and having that daughter abducted by another of her brothers probably all lead to her creating another personality to deal with it all. Harvey rapidly made more notes.

Personality 1 –

- Calm, stern and commanding Demeter. Level-headed personality combining aspects such as maturity and wisdom that is most likely gained from having to grow up quickly due to events in childhood – for example, struggling to survive childhood in terrible conditions (stomach), fighting a war and having a child at a fairly young age.

- This personality loves her daughter Kore and is very protective and controlling - maybe trying to protect Kore from experiencing a traumatic childhood like the one Demeter had to endure. They share a tight bond.

- Becomes very distressed when Kore is taken to underworld and behaves rashly – refusing to let plants grow and thus causing autumn and winter. But because this is only 1 personality, and only half of the whole Demeter, this curse upon the land only affects half the world.

Personality 2 –

- Carefree, playful, energetic Demeter. Personality created to escape pressures of life:

- Traumatic childhood – abused by father and eventually having to kill father; no love from father growing up; no father figure in life.

- Family issues – father is also uncle, grandfather is also uncle

- This personality has negative attitude towards daughter Persephone, may blame her for problems such as disruption between siblings:

- If Persephone was not born then Demeter would not have to deal with having a child with her brother

- If Persephone was not born then Demeter would not have grown feelings of hostility towards brothers Hades and Zeus for abducting/not preventing abduction of her daughter

- This personality becomes relieved when Persephone returns to the underworld as she no longer has to deal with the responsibility of a daughter to look after and can be as carefree as she likes. When Persephone is in the underworld, this personality becomes relieved and can once again concentrate on allowing things to grow and creates Spring and Summer.

Conclusion – 

When Persephone is in the underworld:

- personality 1 becomes depressed and creates autumn and winter in half the world

- personality 2 becomes relieved and carefree and creates spring and summer in the other half of the world

When Persephone is back with Demeter:

- personality 1 becomes happy and joyful and allows things to grow again, creating spring and summer in half the world

- personality 2 becomes stressed with the responsibility of looking after a daughter and cannot concentrate on growing things, the more stressed she gets, the less plants can grow, so autumn and winter is created in the other half of the world.

Harvey finished scribbling his notes down and looked at Demeter, who was sitting slouched in her chair, looking quite bored. She had a completely different posture and aura to the Demeter that had first entered his office.

"Um . . . Demeter?" Harvey said cautiously

"Call me Ceres" she said "It'll stop you getting confused with the 'other me'"

"All right then, Ceres, why do you have such a negative attitude to your daughter Persephone?" Harvey asked

"She's an annoying little brat really" Ceres said "and she gets on my nerves. I mean, why should I have to look after her when she comes back up from the underworld? Why can't she just go off by herself?"

"So you're frustrated that Persephone relies on you so much?" Harvey inquired

"No, it's not that. It's Demeter, you know, my other side. Whenever Persephone comes home, Demeter always becomes super protective and won't let Persephone out of her sight. That means whenever I come out, Persephone is always there and I never get any free time to myself!"

"So you are in conflict with your other personality" Harvey noted "But if you blame Demeter, then why do you dislike Persephone?"

"Well, Demeter's really possessive and such, and I don't think Persephone really likes it, but the annoying thing is that Persephone won't tell Demeter to back off and give her some space! I mean, she's the queen of the underworld for goodness sake! She doesn't need her mother there constantly! It's just frustrating!"

- Conflicted thoughts may have led to MPD; on one hand, she wants to be protective of her daughter; on the other hand, she wants her own free time

"And another thing," Ceres carried on as if she didn't notice Harvey making notes, "It's Persephone's fault that all this happened in the first place really. If she wasn't off on her own that day then she wouldn't have gotten captured, and what about self defence? It was kind of obvious that Hades was going to kidnap her, and he may be a god, but a kick to the nuts would still hurt, and then she could've escaped or run to get help! And another thing . . ." Ceres' head drooped mid-rant, and Harvey felt the goddess's aura change once more. Demeter had returned.


	5. Chapter 5: Conclusions

Chapter 5 - Final Chapter

Hope You Enjoy :)

DISCLAIMER: I obviously do not own Greek Mythology :P Harvey Brown is RedFluffyBanana's character (i do have her permission to use him)

* * *

"My deepest apologies about that" Demeter said "Ceres does that sometimes, just popping out without my consent, it's so rude. Please continue with what you were saying and ignore anything that she said"

"Actually it's quite important for me to here the thoughts and opinions of both personalities if I am to successfully help you" Harvey said

Harvey saw a flash of anger in Demeter's eye and he was worried that he had said the wrong thing, but it soon faded and Demeter sighed.

"I suppose your right" she said "but I try so hard to suppress that side of me, I do hate it so. How can Ceres not care about poor Kore, trapped in the underworld for half a year? I feel horrible now that she has once again returned to my heartless brother down there. Ceres just doesn't understand how I feel."

"Maybe she feels the same way" Harvey said "Maybe Ceres just wants you to understand how she feels about Kore and the whole situation"

"I don't think . . ." Demeter's head dropped once again and Harvey realised that Ceres had come out once more.

"Sorry about that" Ceres said "it was hard to suppress that bitch, how dare she interrupt me when I was in the middle of the conversation it was just so . . . . how rude of Ceres, I was talking then, I won't let her get out so easily next . . . it's time that I fought back and stopped Demeter from being the dominant one, I'll . . . never let Ceres out again, she doesn't understand, poor Kore she . . . stupid Persephone, she's so pathetic and . . . so kind and innocent, I wish I could just hug her and . . . I'd rather hug a snake, I can't believe that . . . stop this Ceres, I'm in control here . . . no your not, your just a . . . cow . . . bitch . . . sissy . . . slag . . ."

"STOP!!!!" Harvey yelled at the top of his voice. His brain hurt, he was so horribly confused. He had just seen a goddess arguing with herself and he had found it very hard to work out which personality was saying what. Demeter/Ceres turned and looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry for my outburst" Harvey apologised, "but I'm only mortal after all, I can't keep up with an argument like that. Now can I please speak to Demeter?" Demeter/Ceres nodded, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again Harvey knew he was speaking to the personality who had first appeared in his room.

"I'm sorry" Demeter apologised "I won't let that happen again. Usually I can suppress Ceres, but I've been quite emotional lately so she's been coming out more often"

"I'm afraid that's where you've been going wrong" Harvey said

"I beg your pardon?" Demeter glared at Harvey

"I don't mean to offend you" Harvey said quickly, "but you can't keep suppressing Ceres, after all, she is another part of you."

"Then what should I do?" Demeter asked

"Well" Harvey said, looking at his notes and making sure he had an effective solution, "To begin with you need to have a calm conversation with . . . well . . . yourself. By that I mean with Ceres. You don't have to agree with each other, but you must come to an understanding or your problems will only get worse. She must understand how close you feel to Kore and how you wish to protect her, but you in turn must also understand how Ceres wishes to be free and may find Kore irritating. After that, you must sort out this problem with Kore. I know you feel as if you must be protective, and you only want what's best for her, but you cannot continue smothering her."

"But . . ." Demeter started to protest

"Please let me finish" Harvey knew he was being very bold cutting Demeter off, as she could kill him instantly, but he was relying on her promise to Artemis that she wouldn't harm him. "So you must sit down and talk to Kore when she next comes home. As well as that, I believe it would do you some good to talk to your brothers Zeus and Hades. You should tell them your feelings and explain to them how they hurt and betrayed you, but you must also see things from their perspective. Zeus may not have prevented Hades from taking Kore, but you must understand that he did not want to cause trouble between himself and Hades. Also, Hades may have been in the wrong to take Kore without even talking to you, but you have to realise that he was in love, and that people often do not think straight when they are in love and do irrational things. So talk to yourself, your daughter and your brothers and try to sort things out. This is all the advice I have to give, the rest is up to you"

There was silence for a minute before Demeter began to nod slowly.

"I see the wisdom in what you say" she said "Thank you Harvey Brown, Artemis was right to recommend you. I will be going now, I have much to do. Goodbye."

And with that she was gone. Harvey sighed and slumped into his comfortable brown chair. Today had been a long day and he was looking forward to getting home and going to sleep. He got up and went to look out the window. Night had fallen. He suddenly glimpsed something moving in the dark. He peered closer, trying to see what it was. Then suddenly it appeared right in front of him, a large owl, wings spread out, eyes wide. Harvey exclaimed in surprise, falling backwards into a heap on the floor. He soon realised that he was sprawled at someone's feet. He slowly looked up to see a tall, wise looking woman peering down upon him. The owl he had seen outside was perched on her shoulder. Harvey recognised the woman as Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. Harvey sighed. The night was not over yet.

THE END

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Note: I am not going to do 'A session with Athena', but have set it up so that RedFluffyBanana can do it if she wants to, so keep an eye out for that :D


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